


Thanks For Making Him Smile

by LadyScript



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Adorable Peter Parker, F/M, Mentioned Ben Parker, Mentioned May Parker (Spider-Man), Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Peter Parker Feels, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Precious Peter Parker, Spider-Man: Far From Home (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 19:08:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20476070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyScript/pseuds/LadyScript
Summary: Peter wasn’t used to think that in the world there were also people who had not believed to Beck and the DailyBugle.net and who considered him as an hero. [...] He knew  that outside there were people who still believed he was a criminal but in that moment he was looking at the other face of the medal and he was happy. [...] He understood that he could make that children happy, he remembered he could be Spider-Man with and without the suit, this Tony had taught him, he wanted him to be better and he wouldn’t have disappointed him.





	Thanks For Making Him Smile

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is my second fanfiction posted on AO3 and my second fanfiction about our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. I hope all this situation about the Sony-Disney dispute will be solved with an happy ending, i can't lose another character after Tony Stark, no one can. Waiting to hear good news, i write so i hope you will appreciate this new little story. English is not my first language so i'm sorry for any mistakes. Comments and advices will be a lot appreciated to improve myself. If you want, you can come to read my first fanfiction Now The Puzzle Was Complete on my profile.  
That's all, enjoy yourself!

Peter sat at the table of the school canteen, his backpack on the table in front of him, his head down covered by the sweatshirt hood. He left the chemistry lesson like a thunder to the sound of the bluebell, he had wanted to avoid the crowd of students who would have looked and glanced at him, murmured and whispered unaware that he could hear them perfectly. He knew that coming back to school would have been different, that it would have been uneasy but he had hoped to reach a new equilibrium at some point. In an instant his life had been completely turned upside down, exactly when everything had started to going right. He had defeated Mysterio, he had defeated the bad guy and saved the world, and yes he had made some mistakes but he had done everything possible to repair them. He had never asked something in return for what he did, he had never wanted something in the return, knowing that he was doing the right thing, that he was helping was enough for him, that was the best part, knowing that he was contributing even if in a minimal way to improve someone’s life.

_“Why are you doing this, I gotta know your mo, what gets you out of that twin bed in the morning”_

Tony’s voice echoed in his mind, their first encounter, when the armored hero had asked him why he did what he did. How much he missed him, how much he would have wanted him there, he would have known what to do, he could have taught him how to handle the journalists who were following him everywhere, people who were saying bad things about him on social media not even knowing him, the police who did not know who to believe and Peter was hoping they didn’t believe Mysterio and the DailyBugle.net. He missed his mentor but above all he messed being Spider-Man.

_“So you want to look out for the little guy, you want to do your part, make the world a better place”_

Since his identity was revealed and he was framed for murderer, he couldn’t be Spider-Man anymore, he couldn’t do his part, he was forced to leave his house to come to the new Avengers compound and May was forced to leave her job, he dragged her to the bottom and he felt really guilty for this. He missed swinging among the skyscrapers, with the wind whistling in his ears, with the thrill of altitude tightening his stomach but above all he missed helping people, making the world a better place because that was what got him out of his bed in the morning. He had never wanted to be a hero, he didn’t even think to deserve to be a hero or maybe Ben and Tony would be still alive.

_“If you were good enough…”_

Peter hid his face in his arms, he hadn’t even realize to have come closer to the table. After a few minutes during which all he could see and feel were the darkness under his eyelids and the fabric of his sweatshirt on his cheeks, someone drummed on his shoulder. It was a gentle touch repeated twice. Peter got up slowly, the sunlight filtering through the canteen wide windows blinded him for a moment, it took him a while to adjust his sight and focus on the environment whose sounds came back to live as if before they were silenced.

Now the canteen was full of people, students eating at their tables, students in line to get their food, students entering and outing. The hand on Peter’s shoulder left, he turned around and met Mj’s eyes, she had her hair tied in a low ponytail with her curly and long fringe along her cheek. She was smiling at him.

<<Dude you need to eat>> Ned’s voice made him turn around to the other side. When had they arrived?

<<I’m not hungry>> Peter replied, he stretched a hand and grab his backpack, he hugged it like if it was a pillow and hid his face again.

<<Dude come on>> said Ned again worried, he felt him come closer.

<<Ned’s right>> said MJ <<Your aunt and his weird boyfriend recommended themselves>> her tone soft and lightly embarrassed. It was weird to hear her talking like this but after all everything was weird since two months.

Peter snorted and get up again, he leaned back in his chair, he kept his gaze down to avoid every other eyes but those of Mj and Ned.

<<Come on dork, I don’t want a starving boyfriend>> joked Michelle smiling, Peter looked up at her and couldn’t avoid to smile. It was her boyfriend, he had thought to lose her due to all this thing, to lose both of them, to be not able to see them anymore.

<<Ok>> agreed and with them head to the canteen counter, getting in line with his tray.

Luckily the line run and one by one they filled their trays, they arrived at the moment to chose a dessert. Peter left his tray, filled without a very interest, on the counter and stopped to see what kind of dessert the canteen offered, not that it was really important. If it wasn’t for Ned and Mj, he would probably have not even stood from the table, he would have been hugging his backpack, hiding his face for all the lunch break. If it wasn’t for the fact he couldn’t come home alone, he would have gone but if he stepped outside there was the risk to be assaulted by the journalists or attacked by someone believing Beck’s lies.

Peter sighed, he stared at every dessert under the counter's glass disinterestedly, what was the difference if he would have chosen the apple pie or the chocolate pudding?

He probably would not even have arrived to eat the dessert. Suddenly he felt his hand being grabbed, Mj’s hand fingers intertwined to his slowly. He turned around and saw her smiling, lowering her gaze with embarrass, he squeezed her hand gently smiling at her.

When on that bridge in Prague she had said she had been looking at him just because she suspected he was Spider-Man and nothing more, he had felt his heart breaking, the disappointment had hit him like a stab. Then in London she had said she had lied and she liked him, in that moment he had felt nothing else than joy, every pain, every discomfort of the just finished battle gone, so he had kissed her, without even thinking, without not even knowing how exactly do it.

<<Over there! It’s him! It’s Spider-Man!>> a little and shrill voice echoed in the room arriving at the called hero’s ears. Peter’s eyes widened, he left Mj’s hand and turned around. In a instant he was surrounded by a group of screaming children who was calling him and trying to grab is attention.

Peter was surprised, with wide eyes was looking at the excited faces of the children without knowing what to do, his arms up like if he was walking in the cold water. He looked around, he crossed Ned’s eyes who just like him was looking at the children with a surprise look, Peter saw him shrugging and shaking his head, neither he knew what to do. The excited children continued to move around him, one of them hugged him, tieing himself to his waist, and was looking up at him with adoringly eyes. 

Peter felt Mj moving behind him but before he could do anything, from the door a girl arrived running, she had long blonde hair and a pair of glasses on her nose, a badge hanging to her neck.

<<Ethan>> she exclaimed lightly panting <<Guys, I told you to wait>> she said to the group of children around Peter <<Come on let him go>>

The little children seemed to calm down a bit, that laced to Peter’s waist left him and together with the other came closer to the girl who Peter knew , he had already seen her but with all that confusion he could remember where.

<<I’m sorry>> she said mortified, once the children had come around her, there were five of them, eight or nine years old, Peter should have an astonished expression on his face because he saw her eyes soften. She was probably 25 years old.

<<No, it’s ok, you-you are…ehm…>> Peter tried to remember her name, his head bleary <<Janet>>

<<Jenny>> she corrected him.

<<Yeah sorry Jenny>> Peter shook his head, opened and closed his eyes feeling stupid for not having remembered her name <<You are…>>

<<Secretary assistant yes>> Jenny finished for him, she was new, she had been hired after the Blip but Peter did never talk with her before that moment <<and they are my little brother Ethan and his friend Max, Jared, Grace and Alice. They are your fan>> introduced the five children with a soft smile.

Peter’s eyes widened for the second time and his mouth opened in a O, he looked at the children one by one, they were looking at him with shining and excited eyes.

<<Come on guys, greet him>> Jenny incited the children, she hit softly her brother’s shoulder.

One by one every child greeted him at little embarassed, Peter was hoping to remember their name. He was feeling everyone's eyes on him and that was making him nervous, he was hoping to not disappoint the expectations that he clearly could be read on the face of his apparently young fans. What did they expect from him? A nudge of Mj was necessary to wake him up from the trance where he seemed to have fallen, Peter looked up at her girlfriend who with a nod of her head indicated the children who were eagerly awainting.

<<Yeah it’s really nice to meet you guys, I am…>>

<<We know who you are!>> exclaimed excited one the little girl, Peter didn’t know if she was Grace or Alice, she had brow hair lightly unkept and she was wearing a little pair of jeans with a colored floral t-shirt under a black little jacket.

<<You’re Spider-Man!>> said one of the little boys, who wasn’t Ethan, the only one that Peter had identified as Jenny’s brother and that for now he could recognised.

<<We are your fan, we have opened a club in our school>> this time Ethan talked with pride in his voice, pointing at the brooch on his chest. He had blonde hair like his sister but lighter than her and two lively eyes. Peter noticed in that moment that all the children had a brooch on their jacket, at heart level. He narrowed his eyes and saw that there was an image on the brooches of him with the suit. His eyebrows lifted upwards and without thinking he came closer to Ethan, kneeling in front of him.

<<Look Ned!>> Peter said excitedly to his best friend, he sounded like a child. He touched with a finger the brooch’s surface on Ethan’s chest who was looking at him with a bright smile <<There is me on it>> the young hero exclaimed <<I mean with the suit>> he corrected himself.

<<Yeah dude it’s awesome>> Ned replied coming closer but remaining stood up <<Official Merchandise!>> he exclaimed. Peter looked up at him from his position kneeled and beat punch with him. He crossed Mj’s eyes, she for sure was thinking that they were two idiots and she was right.

<<We also have t-shirts!>> said at some point one of the other little boys, Peter didn’t know if he was Jared or Max but both him and Ned turned towards him. The little boy unzipped his jacket and with pride he showed his t-shirt that like the brooch had an image of him with suit but different.

<<It’s so cool!>> the spider hero exclaimed not being able to resist, standing up <<How is it possible?>> he asked towards no one in particular, alternating his gaze among the children, eyeing the brooches and the t-shirts that he discovered two boys wore.

<<You heard him, they are your fan>> pointed out Mj <<You know that in the world there is also someone who don’t want to kill you>> she said ironically.

She was right, Peter wasn’t used to think that in the world there were also people who had not believed to Beck and the DailyBugle.net and who considered him as an hero. He felt pure joy for that, his previous sadness totally forgotten. Where did they take that stuff? He asked himself. Stark Industries? Pepper’s idea to raise public awareness? Peter didn’t knew but it was awesome.

<<I want a t-shirt>> said the webslinger , sounded very similar to a child.

<<You want a t-shirt of yourself? A little bit narcissistic, don’t you think?>> Michelle joked.

<<No one is fan of Spider-Man more that Spider.Man himself>> claimed proudly said Spider-man with open arms <<Right?>> he asked his little fans.

<<Yes!>> answered they in chorus and in an instant they were around him again thrilling.

Peter was smiling, in that moment it was like that the world had regained its colors. He knew that outside there were people who still believed he was a criminal but in that moment he was looking at the other face of the medal and he was happy. He understood that he could make that children happy, he remembered he could be Spider-Man with and without the suit, this Tony had taught him, he wanted him to be better and he wouldn’t have disappointed him.

The children smiled and started to cover Peter with a bunch of questions, about how could climb walls, how he could shoot webs, how strong he was, everybody curious and excited. The students in the canteen were looking at all the scene but Peter was too taken from the children to even notice and it was better. At some point one of the little thrilling children said something that drew all the attention, making everyone stop. 

<<Prove that you are Spider-Man>> said one the little boy with brown hair and eyes, a smile full of expectation.

<<What?>> asked Peter caught off guard.

<<Jared>> warned him Jenny.

<<What?>> he asked confused looking up at the young assistant with his chin up <<I want him do something>> explained innocently.

Peter didn’t think that there would be someone who would have asked him to prove to be Spider-Man, aunt May had done it but it had been before that one of his picture, the worst that could be chosen, was shared in live nationally. That little boy had asked him to prove to be Spider-Man not because he didn’t believe he was and he wanted to be sure but because he wanted to see him do something like Spider-Man and he would have pleased him. Peter saw Jenny called Jared again.

<<It’s ok>> he spoke before she could reply to the little child, caching her off guard.

<<Really?>> asked her hesitantly, surprise in her tone.

<<Yeah, no problem>> the young hero confirmed, a giant smile appeared on the little boy’s face before he turned towards his friends <Ok lets see>> murmured Peter to himself, looking around.

They were near to the canteen’s counter, in front of him the corridor taking to the entrance of the room run, the wall climber hero thought about what he could do to give the proof what he was asked to give without damage anything and maybe amaze the children. He looked in every direction, on his left, on his right, even to the ceiling where he contemplated the idea to climb. Mj cleared her throat, drawing his and Ned’s attention, making them turning towards her, with a nod of her head she pointed to a row of sauce bottle on a shelf on the wall, he understood.

Michelle asked the group of children and the students to step away to gain room, Peter raised the sleeves of his jacked, he jointed his wrists and activated the webshooters that opened ready to be used, he placed himself in front of the shelf.

A round of people opened around him, everyone was looking at him, someone had a phone in his hand to record everything. Peter bent his knees and opened his arms, he jumped with enough strength to do a somersault in the mid-air. In the middle of the somersault, when he was upside down, he shot three times, three webs covered the bottles while he completed the somersault and returned stood up. He fixed his jacked under the surprised gaze of everybody, students, some teachers, and the rest of the canteen attendant, he felt the typical click of who stopped a record, after few minutes the five children screamed and came back around him.

They were screaming he had been amazing and the more compliments Peter received the more he felt embarrassed but happy.

<<Hey, would you like something to eat? I’m starving>> Peter asked after a while to the little children pointing at the table where before he, Ned and Mj sat <<The friendly neighborhood Spider-man offers>> he added opening his arms.

<<No!>> a loud metallic noise drew the attention of all the people near the counter who turned around alarmed, caught off guard. Ined, the cook, had beaten a ladle on the table alarming making everyone jumping in their places <<I offer!>> she exclaimed loudly brandishing the ladle.

<<What…>> started incredulous Peter looking at the woman with wide eyes, she had a gentle face, a web covered her grey hair and she was wearing an apron.

<<I have been waiting for 20 minutes that you got up from that chair Parker>> she said pointing with the ladle far away, probably at the table, Peter frowned. Ines bypassed the counter under his surprised and alarmed gaze, like if she had two horns on her head <<You saved my nephew and I’m not talking about the aliens of five years ago but much earlier, he would died without you. He was only three years old at the time and I have always wanted to repay the man who saved his life, imagine my reaction when I found that I have always had him under my nose for all the time>> she hit him fondly on the shoulder <<Thank you>> the woman said softly looking Peter directly in the eyes, taking his shoulders. Peter didn’t know what to say or do, he had not done what he did for having something in return, her woman’ thanks was more than enough for him, he tried to tell her but she hushed him jokingly.

<<No, I’ll take care of it, you have gone through a lot and this is the least I can do>> said the old woman, getting back the ladle that she had left on the counter <<Come on, go>> she invited all the group to go to the table.

<<O-ok>> he agreed a bit disoriented and with Ned and the children started to head to the table.

<<I wanna be a member of your club>> Peter told to the children while they were walking, the little ones were all around him slowing down his pace.

<<Dude you’re literally the main object of their club>> Ned pointed out laughing.

<<Yeah, honorary member>> Peter replied laughing too while the little boys and girls exclaimed their consent. One of then removed the backpack from his little shoulders, he opened it starting to look for something in it, a brooch which he gave to Peter who took it with two wide shining eyes and a big smile on his face.

Mj stayed behind, near to the counter, together with Jenny and Ines who meantime had come back behind the counter. She watched the brief dialogue between his boyfriend and his best friend with her arms crossed on her chest and a smile on her face. She watched her two idiots stepping away, under the look of the other students, someone also took a picture, then loosened her arms and turned towards Jenny who just like her had stayed behind to watch, she had a soft expression on her face while watching the children with his idol

<<Thanks>> claimed Michelle towards both the secretary assistant and the cook. They both turned towards her.

<<For what?>> asked Jenny smiling a bit confused.

<<Thanks for making him smile>> Mj answered and then she came back looking at Peter who in that moment was exchanging an high five with one of the little boys. Finally Peter was smiling, like she had not seen him do for months, a smile which had come up from the heart and enlightened everything around him.


End file.
